The Worst of Village Gossip
by mei.mei.er
Summary: Naruto knows that the most painful type of village gossip is when no one says anything at all. Years after Sasuke left, the village's silence has become deafening, so Naruto goes on his ultimate mission. SasuNaru. T for now.


The Worst of Village Gossip

Chapter 1: July 23

Description: Naruto knows that the most painful type of village gossip is when no one says anything at all. Years after Sasuke left, the village's silence has become deafening, so Naruto leaves for his ultimate mission. SasuNaru undertones and eventual overtones.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Is this sufficient?

Naruto fell out of his bed with a thud, as usual. And like every morning for almost 18 years, Naruto yawned, rubbed his eyes and then peered at his clock. His sleeping cap slipped down past his right eyelid as part of the morning ritual, an occurrence that happened daily ever since Iruka-sensei gave it to him for his 10th birthday. And like clockwork, Naruto made a beeline toward the calendar.

His eyes popped open for a moment when he recognized the date. It was July 23. Sasuke would be 18 today. "Damn you, Sasuke-teme," Naruto muttered to the sunny palm trees gracing the calendar. "Fuck you, indeed," he said for good measure, as if Sasuke could hear him. "I hate palm trees anyway." And Naruto turned for the bathroom, resuming his morning routine with even less vigor than usual.

By the time he had swept his unruly gold bangs out of his eyes with his hitai-ate, and sat down for his morning cup of ramen, Naruto was in a slightly better mood. Three minutes, Naruto thought to himself. Three minutes was way too long, Naruto decided, because of what three minutes of waiting entailed.

So for three minutes, he allowed himself to think.

Thirteen years ago, July 23 was an unofficial sort of holiday. Naruto was still the hated orphan boy, he remembered venomously, but Sasuke was everybody's golden boy after Itachi. He was at the playground 13 years ago this day, and everyone but Naruto was excited.

---

Naruto didn't know it was a special day until he witnessed the crowds that caused a deluge of bento boxes, irritating mothers and chirping children at the end of the day. Everyone's mothers had suspiciously gathered in masses around…Sasuke and the dark-haired woman who was no doubt his mom.

_Sasuke_. Sasuke looked very happy as everyone showered him with birthday wishes. But for a second, his eyes flickered toward Naruto, a smirk marred his perfect features. Then the smile returned.

Naruto turned away. He desperately wanted to confront Sasuke and hit him, but Iruka-sensei taught him last year that birthdays were treasured days.

So with dozens of kids and mothers crowding the Uchiha boy making the unearthly and joyous noise, Naruto faded into the darkness.

---

It was a mere two years later, but July 23 nonetheless. Except unlike the past year, and the year before that, there were no more crowds around the darling Uchiha boy. Only Sasuke, Naruto and the shadows that yawned across the swings sets remained as the sun went down.

Sasuke was sitting by himself on a swing, staring at a non-descript spot that Naruto fervently remembered where Sasuke had stood, surrounded by the village's well wishers, when he had turned 6.

"Oi," Naruto said uncertainly, standing up from his position at the bottom of the slide.

Sasuke's eyes turned briefly to Naruto, and he snarled. But he looked ready to cry.

Naruto turned away again this time, and walked slowly past him. As Sasuke's swing and tiny knees came into view, Naruto muttered quietly, "Let's go somewhere together for your birthday."

The smaller boy looked up at him as Naruto turned bravely to face Sasuke. "What do you know?" he shrieked, his tiny voice punctuated by a desperation. "You've never had a real birthday, orphan!"

"I know, that's why we're going to have one for you today," Naruto replied, giving him a soft smile. He held out his hand, and Sasuke took it.

At first, Naruto was leading him to Ichiraku, but he soon realized that it was a faulty plan. Because everywhere they went, the villagers' stares and silence dragged at their feet. Everyone knew that today was July 23. But for this holiday, the Uchiha boy turned 8, and his family was gone.

Halfway to Ichiraku, Naruto turned around sharply. "We're gonna go to my house instead," Naruto explained, as he pulled an un-responsive Sasuke. His eyes were hidden beneath tightly drawn eyelids and his wide, toothy and extremely fake smile.

They had cup-ramen that day. Sasuke didn't mind, after a bit of convincing from Naruto. As he sipped the suspiciously salty soup, he returned Naruto's smile from earlier.

When Naruto walked him home, Sasuke didn't even hear the village's silence on July 23.

---

Naruto mentally smacked himself when he realized that his ramen was overdone. Normally, he would be on the dot (sometimes earlier when he was impatient) for the three-minute mark. He noted with distaste that his ramen was a tragically swollen mess. Naruto wasn't a picky-eater, so he gobbled it up anyway, remembering for a moment how Sasuke looked when he ate his first cup of ramen.

He left his home and headed straight for the abandoned Uchiha district. On the way, Naruto heard the unusual silence from years ago yet again. Everyone knew that today was golden boy's birthday, and everyone's lips were curled in distaste. Maybe it was finally time to leave.

Naruto slapped a huge smile on his face, ignoring the probing looks people threw at him as he walked by. For years, Naruto had become well acquainted with the underhanded way village gossip worked. It was always behind his back, but they always made sure he knew. He thought that was kind of impossible, but it was the ultimate cruelty.

Since he was a toddler swinging on the playground, Naruto knew what the silence meant. It was a viciously subtle "un-acknowledgement" that Naruto had grown to despise. It hadn't gone away though, although Naruto fully intended for the village to change its mind about him. The silence accompanied everything he had done. Even when he passed Chuunin, or when he graduated to ANBU, the deathly silence accompanied the lack of applause. But today, the silence had never been so unbearable.

Everyone was quiet as he made his way on the familiar path to his best friend's home. But he knew that the word "Uchiha" was brimming at their lips, a mute mockery that Naruto desperately tried to ignore. It was almost as bad as hearing the village's insult for him. "Monster."

When he reached the Uchiha district, Naruto wasn't the least bit surprised when Sakura stood there. "Sakura-chan!" Naruto greeted. The green-eyed teenager turned and waved back.

After initial chit-chat, Naruto and Sakura fell into a comfortable silence as they walked toward the main Uchiha house. They had made a pact years ago to clean it up everyday on Sasuke's birthday.

It was already afternoon by the time they finished dusting away the neglect in the Uchiha district. Naruto flopped onto the ground, and on cue, Sakura pulled out two matching bento boxes and a canteen of water. She silently handed him a box and poured him a cup of water. He ignored it.

Naruto passed a hand over his face and tugged twice on his blond bangs instead, and Sakura promptly smacked him. "Stop it! You're going to go bald," Sakura scolded playfully. "Eat!" But even though Sakura smiled, her eyes glinted with concern. Naruto only pulled his bangs when he was thinking of something unpleasant. Sakura knew most of Naruto's expression down to a tee.

"Aa," Naruto responded absentmindedly. His shockingly blue eyes strained upward to look at his hair, which still stood miraculously upright after all these years. Now that he was almost 18, he insisted on keeping his hair a little longer, because he thought it made him look handsome and mature. Unfortunately, he also developed the nervous habit of pulling his bangs, effectively canceling out any maturity or mystery in his physical appearance.

"Ano sa, ano sa, Sakura-chan," Naruto suddenly said, reverting to child-like banter at Sakura's look. "I've been thinking." He stopped, a pensive look gracing his features.

"I'm not surprised, I smell something smoking," Sakura replied, raising an eyebrow to invite him to continue.

"I'm going to leave," Naruto intoned. At Sakura's shocked face, Naruto hastily added on, "But I'm coming back, of course. I just need some time away." He silently added, from everyone.

"You're going to look for Sasuke-kun again, aren't you?" Sakura queried. "You said you'd take me with you this time."

"I didn't forget," Naruto replied. "That's why I told you! I always keep my –"

"promises," Sakura finished for him. "I know. But I'm not done training yet."

Naruto looked crestfallen. "Sakura-chan, I don't know how much longer I will take this," he said seriously. He gestured vaguely toward the village.

Sakura frowned, failing to understand. He fingered the whisker marks on his face absently with his left hand, but then he picked up his chopsticks. Sakura sighed in relief and commenced eating her own lunch.

Midway through their late-afternoon luncheon, Naruto interrupted the silence finally. "Someone once told me that I didn't understand bonds, because I never had any," Naruto said around a bite of rice. "I'm almost 18 now, Sakura-chan."

"You have me," Sakura protested, knowing full well that it wasn't really true. She hadn't gotten close to Naruto in the beginning, and even though she wished for it now, their lives were too busy and far apart. The emotions just added more to the gap.

"I'm tired of the silence," he said. "I hated it when people were quiet around me," he explained vaguely. "So I got louder."

Sakura sneaked a glance at Naruto, looking perplexed. Even though years of experience had taught her about her fellow team members' painful pasts, Sakura could barely imagine what loneliness and sadness felt like.

"I hated it most when they were quiet about Sasuke-teme," Naruto said wistfully. "Because they weren't always so quiet, you know? They _loved_ him."

Sakura didn't answer. She didn't know. Instead, she asked, "What does this have to do with you leaving?" Fear finally slipped into her voice.

"I won't go if you don't want me to Sakura-chan. But I think it's time that I find him and put an end to this silence. Silence is no good if you wanna become Hokage! You want lots of noise," Naruto explained. "I can't be a Hokage when everyone ignores my best friend."

How has Sasuke changed, Naruto wondered while he ate the scrambled egg. Did he still like scrambled eggs? Did he still make that bastard face when he bit into the umeboshi Sakura always made?

Sakura regarded Naruto, not knowing what to say. Had Naruto always been this way? Naruto cut through her thoughts and reassured her, "But don't worry, I don't want to leave without you!"

Sakura smiled, but her lips drooped a little when she noticed that Naruto had on his fake smile.

They spent the rest of the day together, trying to reminisce about happier Team 7 times. It was impossible without Sasuke-kun, Sakura decided, especially on his 18th birthday. So Sakura made a decision, possibly the most selfless decision she has ever made.

"Go," Sakura said simply when they finished eating dinner at Ichiraku. "Go without me. I'm not ready."

"Aa? Sakura-chan?" Naruto intoned, his eyes slightly misted over with fatigue. "Whaddya mean? I'm going to walk you home, like a date!"

Sakura shook her head. "This is your birthday present, Naruto. Go find Sasuke-kun for your 18th birthday. I'll catch up with you when I'm done training."

Surprise flitted across Naruto's face, as he now sat up alert from his stool. "I can't possibly, that's not my ninja way!"

"I want you to," Sakura replied, her green-eyes tinged with remorse. "I'm not strong enough to go with you, and I know that. You've been more than ready."

Naruto looked at her, not knowing what to say. Leaving her would be a terrible blow to both him and her, but Naruto knew what he wanted to do. Sakura smiled painfully. "Walk me home one more time?"

Naruto nodded, his mind already made up. He took Sakura's hand and pulled her off the stool. And this time, when he walked by the villagers, he didn't hear the silence anymore.

His heart felt light for the first time in months. He will be finding Sasuke, and his torture would be over with Sakura's blessing. When they had reached Sakura's house, Sakura stopped him from leaving after walking her to the door. "Naruto, close your eyes," Sakura whispered.

Naruto did, and felt his forehead lighten once again since Iruka had told him to close his eyes. He felt a light peck on the center of his forehead, and Naruto opened his eyes in shock. Sakura-chan had kissed him, and she now looked like she was ready to cry. Naruto turned around again. "Don't worry about me, Naruto," Sakura quickly said. "I just want you safe."

Naruto nodded. "You can beat me up after all of this is over. For your grief."

Sakura smiled at his promise. "Okay." A few moments passed, and Naruto turned around and gave her a hug. In the tight embrace, both of them imagined a Sasuke in between, growing to fill and widen the emotional chasm between Naruto and Sakura. Sakura repeated to herself mentally, "This was the only way I'll ever get both of them back."

"I'll bring him back, Sakura-chan. Just you wait. It'll be my best 18th birthday ever." Naruto disappeared with not another glance, disappearing down the street in record time.

Sakura went inside and cried, knowing that this was the only way she could be a part of Team 7.

It was no surprise the next day that Tsunade was fuming as she dragged Sakura over to Naruto's now empty apartment. "Door left unlocked, the rooms clean for the first time in years and most of the clothes were gone!" Tsunade raged. Sakura mentally added on to the list of missing inventory: the Team 7 picture. She smiled.

They finally found a note, and Tsunade sat down on Naruto's bed and looked like she was about to cry. "That brat is such a fool," she said affectionately. Sakura silently agreed.

Miles away, Naruto sneezed, but he looked happier than he had ever been in years. The silence would finally be over.

---

A/N: I'm by no means a Naruto fanatic or connoisseur, so please bear with me for OOC or whatever. Comments appreciated. Thanks.


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